Town Crier Articles

The Atlantic 10 conference is made up of 14 Division I teams, mostly Eastern Seaboard schools. Sean’s job as a former coach involved recruiting, so a lot of travel was involved. He explained difficulties in recruiting athletes from other geographical areas, as California or southern athletes may not be interested in spending 4 years playing in a snowbound/freezing cold northern environment. Not all schools have the same eligibility requirements and many high school athletes are unsure of a long-term goal to play professionally or excel at both academics and athletics.  

Conference seeding was challenged this year due to COVID and many game cancellations. BUT, all NCAA athletes, because of COVID, get a free year of eligibility, meaning that they can return next year to play. Even if a senior this year, they can return and take classes, begin a graduate degree. This is a great opportunity for men and women basketball players at William and Mary.

March Madness tournament currently begins with 68 teams.  Thirty-two teams that have won their conference are eligible to participate in the March Madness tournament. The remaining 36 teams are selected by a committee of college athletic directors/administrators who have a 4 year term on the committee.    Revenue from March Madness, around $1 billion, supports the NCAA all sports/all divisions.